Jay Livingston

Occupation: Composer, songwriter
Born: March 28, 1915, McDonald, Pennsylvania
He composed many movie songs, often in collaboration with lyricist Ray Evans (b. February 4, 1915, Salamanca, New York). Their hits include "To Each His Own," "Golden Earrings," and "Tammy," as well as Academy Award winners "Buttons and Bows" (from
"The Paleface", 1948), "Mona Lisa" (from "Captain Cary,
U.S.A.", 1950), and "Que Sera Sera ( Whatever Will Be, Will Be!
)" (from "The Man Who Knew Too Much", 1956). Livingston and Evans also wrote several popular themes for TV series, including "Bonanza",
"Mr. Lucky" and "Mr. Ed."

As a child, he studied piano with Harry Archer in
Pittsburgh, PA. Later, while
attending the University of Pennsylvania, he studied composition and
orchestration with Harl McDonald. While still a student, be organized a dance
band that played for various school functions, and that also played on globe
girdling cruise ships. One of his fellow students, Ray B. Evans, was also in the
band. Livingston and Evans proved to be a team, with Evans becoming the
lyricist.

Livingston graduated in 1937, and then
moved to New York, where he spent the next six
years, during which time, he and Evans had a Tin Pan Alley hit song with "G'bye
Now". In 1939, he scored the motion picture 'The Cat and the Canary'. In 1940,
Lane and Evans wrote some songs that were interpolated into the Olsen and
Johnson Broadway show 'Son's O' Fun'.

During WW2, Livingston served in the U.S.
Army. In 1944, Livingston and
composer Ray Evans, went to Hollywood where they signed a Paramount Pictures
contract. They were destined to write songs for more than a hundred different
films, over a ten year span.